The Jewish Oregon Story traces the history of Jewish
Oregonians and their communities during a period of dramatic change. Drawing on
archival sources, including a collection of over five hundred oral histories,
the book explores how Jewish Oregonians both contributed to and were shaped by
the “Oregon Story,” a political shift that fueled Oregon’s—and particularly
Portland’s—emerging reputation for progressivism and sustainability.

Historian
Ellen Eisenberg examines a community grappling with, and increasingly
embracing, change—from the dramatic national shifts in women’s roles and intergroup
relations to local issues such as the razing of the historic South Portland
Jewish neighborhood. An original community musical—Whatever
Happened to Old South Portland?—frames the
creation of a new Portland Jewish identity, which emerged out of the ashes of
South Portland, tapping ethnic expression as an antidote to suburbanization and
assimilation.

Chapters
on involvement in liberal politics and advocacy for Israel explore communal
engagement that reflected national trends, but, beginning in the 1980s, was
increasingly shaped by emerging local progressivism. A final chapter charts
recent shifts in Oregon Jewish geography, demographics, and organizational
life, exploring the rebirth of smaller communities and the embrace of
post-denominational Jewry, spirituality, and an ethos of environmentalism and
inclusion.